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Today I was given a rare opportunity to do something I’ve never had the chance to do- photograph a car that is not yet in production.  A few days ago I had heard a rumor around the office that a 2013 SL was due to show up.  Between then and now it was nothing but that, just a rumor.  This morning on my drive in I got a call saying that the vehicle had arrived, and was only going to be around for a matter of hours.  I live for last minute impromptu photo sessions.

I showed up to find a group of people who had also caught the news gathered around it.  My instinctive reaction was to start setting gear up.  The entire time I wanted to just stop and enjoy the view, as everyone else was.  But I knew there’d be plenty of time for that.   The car had just arrived from Detriot, I was told.  My first assumption was “auto show”.  But after checking out some coverage of the show I didn’t see this particular car there.  My guess is it was a demo car at the auto show.  But again, pure speculation.

The first thing I noticed was the Designo Matted finish.  Some love the flat finish, some hate it, i personally think it’s fantastic and is always a joy when using flash photography.  European plates were either for show or proof that this was a demo car shipped here from MB that was still plated for Europe.    Google searching showed a few cars with similar plates, in Germany.

There were no badges on it.  No indication of what trim of SL it would be.  But going by the MB website, the only future SL model is a 550.

A quick peek under the hood revealed a potent little powerplant.

V8 bi-turbo was pretty clear at this point.  MB’s website quotes a 4.6l bi-turbo v8 that puts out 429hp and 516ft/lb of torque which rockets the aluminum body to 60mph in 4.5 seconds.

With that kind of performance from a SL550, I get giddy when I think about what an AMG package would have in store.

Stylish 5 spokes filled up nicely with drilled rotors and a decently sized caliper.

The interior is everything you expect from a new Mercedes.  Leather wrapped everything, brushed aluminum, and gloss finishes.

Everything driver oriented, but as expected, no manual transmission here.

Definitely one for the portfolio.